Michael Fonseca, Ph.D.
Director of Product Development, Abbott

Abstract: Heart Failure (HF) is a chronic disease where heart function worsens over time resulting in symptoms of shortness of breath, fluid accumulation, and frequent hospitalizations. CardioMEMS™ is a medical device designed to measure Pulmonary Artery (PA) hemodynamics to guide medical therapy. The MEMS-based wireless pressure sensors are permanently implanted using minimally invasive catheters and transmit blood pressure and heart rate data to an external electronics system. Device effectiveness was proven by a randomized clinical trial, where guided therapy using CardioMEMS™ resulted in a 33% reduction in HF hospitalizations during an 18 month follow-up. Future challenges include making hemodynamic monitoring a medical standard of care for advanced heart failure management.

Bio: Michael A. Fonseca moved to Atlanta, GA from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. In the summer of 2000, Michael joined the Microsensors and Microactuators group under the direction of Dr. Mark Allen at Georgia Tech and researched wireless pressure sensors for high-temperature applications. In May of 2001, CardioMEMS, Inc. hired him as the second employee where he directed, researched, and developed implantable wireless pressure sensors for abdominal aortic aneurysms and heart failure. He received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech in 2007. Today, as the Director of Product Development at Abbott, he continues to expand the diagnostic product portfolio for advanced medical therapies and improve patient’s quality of life.